Please lend me the benefit of your expertise! Let me try to recap the impressions I've gotten from following several threads, and please comment on my mistakes/suggest other ideas. I'm going to use Monster as the baseline, since most of us seem to be aware of their product line.

1) Cable quality can and does make a perceivable difference, but not as great as the hype would like you to think.

2) The lowest quality cables (the ones that come in the box with the components) should be avoided.

3) A heavy Radio Shack type patch cable for about $13 a 1 meter pair is just as good as anything Monster offers through the IL300 at roughly $30 for a 1 meter pair.

4) An IL400 is noticeably better than those listed in item three. (Roughly $40 for a 1 meter pair)

5) Silver Serpents from bettercables (roughly $80 for a 1 meter pair) are noticeably better than the IL400, and less expensive than any comparable Monster product.

6) Anything (boutique) cables more expensive than this is probably not worth the extra money.

Do you agree? I have the most awful rat's nest of cables from zip cord through Esoteric Audio "I can't believe I paid this much," and I want to standardize the whole mess. I'm currently leaning toward the Monster IL400 as "better than most, but half the price of the next perceivably better" cable. Would you agree?

Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated! -Bruce

This message was edited by Bruce Burson on 12/13/01 06:14.23.